Vendors who have larger diamond inventories?

[elizat]

So an interesting turn of events, I’m now not only soft searching for myself but active shopping for someone else. I guess I’ll actually have to talk to people? Maybe I should preface every interaction with “I have anxiety about feeling pressured to communicate with multiple vendors all at the same time, please be concise and short with me.”

You could, but I'd just talk to one person at a time. Explain what you want, that you need to find the right stone and that you don't want to feel pressured to buy until it's the one.

 

[Rose-gold-or-bust]

There is a 5+ ct ring thread. I bet if you ask in there who they’ve used for vendors you may get some other ideas on where to look

 

[Jsand]

Really? I have been following for years. I see prices on stagnant pieces of jewelry she can duplicate (eg a band or a bracelet) but not on specific large diamonds.

yes she posts stats but not prices unfortunately. Sometimes the stats are in the comments after another follower has asked.
I definitely sympathise, I feel this way in stores. Happy browsing until a sales assistant sharks their way over, then I’m outta there!

 

[madelise]

Update:

Grace helped me figure out how to reach Jogani’s website. Prices are listed with GIA cert and stats.

Now that I’m helping shop for someone else, it’s even more pertinent that we educate ourselves.

I won’t cry if I spent $5k then regretted it a bit later. But I’d be pretty resentful if I regretted a $20k-100k purchase, you know?

I use buying car analogy all the time. Shop different shops, get prices, compare stats. Except jewelry is so individual that it’s hard for 1:1 comparison. All we can do is look, educate, and sort of build this internal gut feeling about things. Especially with fancy cut diamonds and/or antique diamonds!! It’s not a 1ct RB H VS1 comparison across the board lol.

Thank you so much for all this dialogue.

 

[madelise]

Yes do this and any vendor who doesn’t understand anxiety is just not someone you should work with. It’s that simple. Finding the right stone is what people focus on but finding the right vendor is just as important

Thank you for validating this. It’s just hard when I end up getting overwhelmed and saying “f it!” and stop. I know it’s my own accommodations I need, and nothing on the sellers’ responsibility. I just have to advocate for how to work with me, I guess! And accept that, as much as I’d love to shop 10 shops, I probably can’t!

 

[madelise]

You could, but I'd just talk to one person at a time. Explain what you want, that you need to find the right stone and that you don't want to feel pressured to buy until it's the one.

Lol I guess I over simplified my post bc it would be otherwise very long winded and overwhelming.

I have anxiety that increases when I get excited or have too many options. So it can swing both negative and positive. I can hyperfocus, too, and end up being drawn to things and convince myself I love things until I see the next better thing. I’m trying to avoid that costly mistake. But then I also get frustrated when I don’t have data to compare across many options. I’m also very limited on free time, so it’s a hot mess all around.

I wish I could hire a personal assistant/shopper for me but I wouldn’t trust anyone else.

Thank you for your suggestion. I’ll need to approach this all very systematically, for sure.

 

[madelise]

yes she posts stats but not prices unfortunately. Sometimes the stats are in the comments after another follower has asked.
I definitely sympathise, I feel this way in stores. Happy browsing until a sales assistant sharks their way over, then I’m outta there!

Haha!! This is me! I get way too overwhelmed and just leave... which sucks because I could’ve probably bought something if I felt no external pressure.

I think that’s why I always end up going back to Grace. She treats all her customers like long time friends with no pressure. I’m flying down to LA next weekend to help shop for the not-mine ring upgrade, and I’ll keep tabs in my brain for myself as well.

I just have this inner cheapass that gets minor (sometimes major!) resentment anytime I feel like I paid more than someone else for something better. But like my husband constantly reminds me, we just don’t have the time to “treasure hunt” anymore. There’s the piece of mind part where we should be happy to pay extra for. I can’t expect Nordstrom customer service for a Dollar Store price tag, and I’m learning to let go of my financial trauma of my past.

 

[Jsand]

I just have this inner cheapass that gets minor (sometimes major!) resentment anytime I feel like I paid more than someone else for something better. But like my husband constantly reminds me, we just don’t have the time to “treasure hunt” anymore. There’s the piece of mind part where we should be happy to pay extra for. I can’t expect Nordstrom customer service for a Dollar Store price tag, and I’m learning to let go of my financial trauma of my past.

Oh my gosh, could have written this about myself! It definitely gets to a point where your time is worth more than money though.
Shopping for someone else is a great practice run for yourself, what fortunate timing!

 

[Zarina]

Thank you, D&T. I’ll follow them. I also notice they don’t post stats and price like how Grace does on her website. I swear I feel like I only learn from her, from Park Fine, and very few others.

I completely agree with you, Madelise,
having to ask for info - then feeling like you have to thank the vendor - saying yes or no - feeling embarrassed to contact them again the next time something catches your interest ... and so on.
I, too, enjoy the larger stones and really resent having to do this. There are not a lot of sites to find them - it reminds me of real estate agents that show no addresses or prices of properties they are advertising

 

[PintoBean]

Would you be trading any pieces in towards your upgrade?

 

[madelise]

Would you be trading any pieces in towards your upgrade?

Trade or sell, whatever happens. I want to consolidate.

 

[PintoBean]

Trade or sell, whatever happens. I want to consolidate.

Ok. I was thinking that upgrade policies would play a part in this case. It doesnt hurt to go back to the vendors you previously purchased from and ask them to keep an eye out for things to send your way when they come across them, and that your plan is to trade in, etc.

 

[madelise]

Ok. I was thinking that upgrade policies would play a part in this case. It doesnt hurt to go back to the vendors you previously purchased from and ask them to keep an eye out for things to send your way when they come across them, and that your plan is to trade in, etc.

I don’t have pieces all from one vendor, though, and the range I’m looking for gets rarer so I don’t want to pigeonhole my options. I’m also not 100% sold on the idea of upgrading, mostly consolidating. Which means I want to rid the smaller pieces, not necessarily the bigger ones. The smaller pieces aren’t from vendors that sell giant diamonds.

 

[madelise]

S t r e s s f u l

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Not many vendors online, and maybe not many vendors period, are going to have extensive inventory of diamonds of that size. I would use the pricescope diamond search to see where they are.

There are thousands listed on PS comparison engine. Why bust your boiler looking elsewhere?

 

[OoohShiny]

Don't forget that @Rhino offers a concierge service through his August Viintage Inc. site, and knows how to find a good EC!

He is also a very personable chap, it seems, so I think it could be much less stress than dealing with random vendors - you could give him a budget and he could just keep an eye out for you

 

[madelise]

There are thousands listed on PS comparison engine. Why bust your boiler looking elsewhere?

There actually isn’t much when I look on the ps search engine, hence my asking. I’ve been on PS for over 10 years now, so that would’ve been the first place I looked.

 

[madelise]

Don't forget that @Rhino offers a concierge service through his August Viintage Inc. site, and knows how to find a good EC!

He is also a very personable chap, it seems, so I think it could be much less stress than dealing with random vendors - you could give him a budget and he could just keep an eye out for you

I don’t like Jon and will never use him again after my ex-Fiance purchased spent almost $40k with him and I saw his islamaphobic and homophobic posts on social media. My money goes where my mouth is.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

There actually isn’t much when I look on the ps search engine, hence my asking. I’ve been on PS for over 10 years now, so that would’ve been the first place I looked.

170 stones, some doubled up. Nothing there?
https://www.pricescope.com/diamonds/WW71oz

 

[AV_]

I am guessing that what is not on the list are interesting diamonds - with distinctive cut & not eccentric pricetags...

 

[madelise]

170 stones, some doubled up. Nothing there?
https://www.pricescope.com/diamonds/WW71oz

LOL I just clicked through the top 10 and all of them weren’t real images of diamonds. They’re all stock photos of a random stone! How do I meet the objective of learning about diamonds at that size without seeing the cut, the style, etc. with those unless I message the jewelers for them to pull those stones because they don’t actually have them, just so I can learn for a potential buy?

 

[madelise]

I am guessing that what is not on the list are interesting diamonds - with distinctive cut & not eccentric pricetags...

None of those even show their cuts lol, they’re all stock images! And yes, my budget is sub-200k.

Fancy cuts aren’t MRBs where the angles might give me a great chance at learning info. It’s all a crap shoot with fancies. Must see each individual stone to learn.

Le sighzzzzz

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

You are right, it needs to have a trusted vendor who will get you the info and work with you.
I suggest you choose a Pricescope vetted vendor (who supports us) and have them help you.
Also bear in mind shipping and insurance on high value diamonds can be very expensive.
But there are some nice stones listed that you may have overlooked - e.g. the 6.17ct F VVS2 which maybe you already put a hold on?
The owner still has it listed for sale and has excellent information on it.

 

[AV_]

I would know where to ask for my diamond, if I were in the market - because one cutter can read my mind.

I would not try to take the same numbers wrangled around here, up to a round that much larger; I'd have a trillion questions.

 

[madelise]

You are right, it needs to have a trusted vendor who will get you the info and work with you.
I suggest you choose a Pricescope vetted vendor (who supports us) and have them help you.
Also bear in mind shipping and insurance on high value diamonds can be very expensive.
But there are some nice stones listed that you may have overlooked - e.g. the 6.17ct F VVS2 which maybe you already put a hold on?
The owner still has it listed for sale and has excellent information on it.

I want to learn first before I put some vendors through that in the more serious, card is out to buy phases. I want to soft search, window shop, and just learn the way I did prior to all my other purchases. :/

I’m not really interested in the F color zone at all. I like the coolest color to be maybe H-I, but prefer the J-K zone.

 

[madelise]

I would know where to ask for my diamond, if I were in the market - because one cutter can read my mind.

I would not try to take the same numbers wrangled around here, up to a round that much larger; I'd have a trillion questions.

I’m not understanding at all lol. What numbers are we talking about?

 

[AV_]

Oops. I referred to the numbers that RBC are judged by.

-

While you were writing I was looking at a few things elsewhere:

WWW - it is round, the kind Bucheron could have put their name on back in the day, or so they say. I am surprised by the grades & price. Perhaps I shouldn't be.

You must know this place.

 

[madelise]

Oops. I referred to the numbers that RBC are judged by.

-

While you were writing I was looking at a few things elsewhere:

WWW - it is round, the kind Bucheron could have put their name on back in the day, or so they say. I am surprised by the grades & price. Perhaps I shouldn't be.

You must know this place.

Yes, I know first dibs! But thanks for the reminder. It’s been years since I’ve gone through jewelry. Not feeling an OEC really (it was the cut my ex-engagement ring was), not feeling cushions really... I like antique ovals but am not a fan of modern Ovals.. I like chunkier vintage ECs but some modern ones are chunky too. I don’t like that ECs face up small but ovals too frequently have bow tie and are super rare.

Lol more le sigh all around! It makes online window shopping hard.

 

[AV_]

I would not hope for an old school oval - they are so rare, and not always successful.

Hancocks, perhaps...

Then,
I can't know if you would find small models of a cut style relevant: these are minute WWW but size does not show in such pictures so they do give a sense of the cut which can be applied to another stone of the right parameters. If you ever saw a beautiful stone of the wrong size & colour, perhaps it can serve as reference too. I couldn't say I remember any astonishing old oval off the bat!

 

[AV_]

ctd.

Three old style ovals at Hancocks, sure enough: WWW They are an address to watch for such things. Prices are European.